


Filtered Futures

by flowerslut



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: 5 + 1 prompt, 5 Times, Angst and Porn, CotN-verse, F/M, JaliceWeek21, Porn With Plot, Project Jasper Gets Laid 2021, Series Outtakes, Visions, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:54:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29301462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerslut/pseuds/flowerslut
Summary: Changing your future isn’t exactly a simple thing. Alice knows this. There are always too many variables at work. So while it isn’t something she takes lightly, she knows that when your psychic ability shows you clear evidence that the man that’s destined to kill you instead wants to kiss you, things get complicated. Five visions, and the moment it becomes reality. CotN-verse. Written for JaliceWeek.
Relationships: Alice Cullen/Jasper Hale
Comments: 6
Kudos: 17
Collections: Jalice Week - February 2021





	Filtered Futures

**Author's Note:**

> Seriously, if you’ve never read Call of the Night, sorry, but you won’t really understand what’s happening in All of these scenarios. And at this point, if you’re reading a twilight fanfic of mine but you haven’t read CotN… just… how? Genuinely asking at this point. But yes. I know, I can’t stop writing in this universe. But it’s too much fun and I love it dearly so any opportunity to write CotN-verse one shots? I’m taking it baby. I dedicate this to all my CotN lovers who I incessantly blue-balled with all these original moments. Sorry y’all. 
> 
> (I provided the corresponding chapters at the beginning of each segment in case you want to go back to CotN and refresh your brain after this fic. You shouldn’t need to, really, since I provided enough context for each vision. But just in case. Hope things don’t flow too strangely.)

**One** :

(chapter 12)

“Anyways,” Bella shot Emmett an annoyed glance before turning back to Alice, who was entranced by the tale of her final human days, “I was changed almost a year later, and the day I was out of self-control training I took my oath.”

“That’s incredible,” Alice gasped, “And this was in the 50s?” She didn’t know she’d been gripping Jasper’s knee until he shifted beneath her. She jumped up slightly and shot him a quick apologetic grin. She’d been so wrapped up in the story that she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding onto him. A swell of embarrassment rose within her when she realized that she seemed to be subconsciously seeking out his physical presence quite often as of late…

“Late 50s. I was changed in ’58 and took my oath in ’63.”

“It was the biggest scandal until that asshole came along,” Emmett grinned, looking to Jasper. “And then everyone forgot about Miss Bella.”

A pillow hit the back of Emmett’s head in the same moment that Rosalie smacked his hands off of her waist. “Emmett,” she snapped.

“She doesn’t know about that, yet,” Edward hissed.

“It’s fine,” Alice dismissed, a little put off by their harsh reactions. She turned toward Jasper, only to note that he’d stiffened at the mention of his rocky past. She smiled warmly at him before taking his hand, knowing that he felt her contentment. “We’re getting there.” Turning back toward the other occupants of the room she almost hesitated when she went to speak again, immediately noting everyone’s eyes glued to their joined hands. It wasn’t that weird to hold your friend’s hand, right? She held Bella’s and Emmett’s all the time. “What about you, Edward?” She attempted to steer their attention away from them, feeling how tense Jasper was beside her.

Edward frowned at her, knowing that she already knew a few details from Esme about his recruitment, but began to speak about working in Chicago when Esme and Carlisle found him, effectively drawing the attention toward himself.

Alice paid close attention but shot Edward a silent ‘thank you’ as she felt Jasper relax beside her. And when he squeezed her hand tightly, butterflies fluttered in her stomach, bringing a warmth into her body that was beginning to feel more and more regular with Jasper.

( _And then, a vision._ )

Time passed quickly as the conversation ebbed and flowed around them. As Edward wrapped up his own tale—shocking Alice with some details Esme had knowingly left out—it left Alice wondering more about the dark underbelly of their world. One that Alice was sure still existed.

After all, who was supposed to go punished when the people responsible for changing a human were long dead? And the one responsible for the act had vanished quickly and quietly into the shadows…

Rosalie and Emmett were the first to depart the room. Rosalie remarked that she had some ‘charity work’ to attend to, prompting Alice to watch as Edward rolled his eyes and Emmett let out a low whistle, trailing out of the room after his wife, apparently eager to assist.

It was hard to avoid the vision she received of the two of them then, squirming in her seat as Alice forced the inappropriate snippet to leave her mind.

Between the porn she’d accidentally clicked and Rosalie and Emmett’s ‘private time’, Alice had unwillingly witnessed enough sex today.

Edward laughed at that thought before sitting himself up, but before he could comment, Alice’s voice broke the silence.

“If you know what’s good for you you’ll shut up.”

Bella snickered at that, and Jasper managed to look mildly impressed, if not highly curious.

“Nothing,” she turned to Jasper, her words quieter, “it’s _nothing_.”

“Okay,” Bella exhaled as she smacked the couch cushions beneath her and stood, “that’s enough harassing Alice for one day.”

“Or for the month,” Alice grumbled low, crossing her arms over her chest as she pouted toward Edward where he sat, grinning over at her.

“Come on,” Bella shook her head as she grabbed Edward by the arm and pulled him onto his feet. But of course, Bella being her savior for the day couldn’t last too long. “And you,” Bella pointed at Jasper as she dragged her husband out of the room, “either put a child-lock on her browser or go through proper internet etiquette with her, _please_.”

Alice couldn’t help but whine at that, lifting her knees up and hiding her face behind them. “You’re all awful.”

Edward laughed as Bella dragged him away, leaving Alice and Jasper fully alone in the den.

After a few awkward seconds, Alice muttered out a quiet, “sorry” from where she was still burrowed beneath her arms and behind her knees.

“Alice, you don’t have to apologize.” Alice could _feel_ his hesitation as he placed his hand against her back. “It was just an accident anyways.”

“I ruined our afternoon.”

When Jasper slowly pulled his hand back, Alice nearly cursed her phrasing. “I’m sorry. I should have watched what you were doing on the screen more carefully.”

“No, no,” she sat up finally, shaking her head. “It’s fine. It’s not your fault.”

“How about this: it’s neither of our faults.” He offered her a half-smile, and Alice’s stomach did a little flip at the sight.

“Or, we can just blame Edward.”

And when Jasper laughed at that, the deep timbre making Alice’s chest tighten, she couldn’t help but smile widely at him. “Yeah, we can do that.” He grinned down at her.

Alice toyed around with what to say next, and then decided that if she was going to do what she set out to do, and befriend Jasper Whitlock, the least she could do is be completely transparent with him. She swallowed the slight lump in her throat and turned to him fully, letting her legs fall back down.

She was nervous to speak to him, now that they were well and truly alone, but she knew that she had to let him know that she was alright with him being angry at the innuendos.

“I hope Emmett’s comment didn’t make you too mad,” she spoke her words softly. It was hard to maintain eye contact with him, especially with how intently he was watching her, soaking up her every word. “About ‘ridding me of my innocence’ and stuff like that. I know he’s just trying to get a rise out of us, but I don’t want the insinuations to upset you or anything.”

He eyed her strangely as he spoke, “I don’t want him making you uncomfortable,” he chose his words carefully. “I could feel how mortified you were. I didn’t want him upsetting _you_.”

“I’m still so embarrassed,” she confessed, the mortification still fresh in her mind. “I didn’t mean to make you mad. It just that I—”

“Alice,” he shook his head slightly as he stared at her, bewildered. “I wasn’t—I’m _still_ not mad. I just want you to feel comfortable here. With everyone. With—” he inhaled and exhaled quickly, turning his head to look at something Alice couldn’t see. Maybe he was trying to see whether or not he’d be overheard or not. “I want you to feel comfortable with me. Emmett being crass about us doesn’t seem very compatible with that.“ When he looked back at her, locking gazes with hers, Alice felt the breath momentarily freeze in her lungs.

“I thought you were angry at the insinuation of us being together,” she spoke plainly, feeling a bit strange now that Jasper presented her with this entirely new way of visualizing his reaction. “Like, it offended you or something.”

“What? No, that’s not it at all. I…” He paused, straightening up where he sat as he shook his head. Then, he ran a hand through his hair and exhaled slowly. “It might be hard for you to believe, but I care about you, Alice.”

It took Alice a few seconds to shake free of the shock that derailed her train of thought. “Oh,” she spoke quietly, and suddenly she couldn’t contain the elation that was simmering in her stomach. “I care about you, too. But,” she forced out a laugh, trying to diffuse some of the tension in the air, “I feel like you probably already know that,” she waved a hand toward him, as if remembering his ability.

“I wasn’t mad at the idea of us together,” Jasper was still stunned at the idea, “I just don’t like Emmett making you uncomfortable.” He reiterated his point, and Alice almost laughed.

“Does Emmett really think we’re…” Alice averted her eyes, suddenly very nervous to be talking about this. Picking up the hem of her shirt she began to fiddle with the edges, her attention seemingly focused on that, despite her words. “Together… like that?”

Our of her peripheral, Alice watched Jasper jaw twitch. “Emmett thinks a lot of things.”

“So, yes?”

Jasper sighed, his eyes still trained on her, as if studying her every reaction, “Emmett is trying to play matchmaker.”

Alice couldn’t contain the snort that fell out of her. Releasing her shirt, she pulled her hands back into her lap and turned to smile at him. “That _is_ a little embarrassing.”

“I can tell him to stop. I know it’s wildly inappropriate, especially considering our line of work and, well, the circumstances between the two of us are a little bizarre. I’ll talk to him.”

“No, hey,” reaching over, Alice grabbed his hand, squeezing it softly, effectively silencing Jasper’s ramblings. “It’s fine. Let Emmett be Emmett.” Then, figuring she was nearly at the point of no return anyways, she shrugged. “I just didn’t think it was that obvious.”

“What was?”

“Whatever this is. Between us, I mean.” Lifting his hand between them she gestured vaguely. “I mean it, when I said I care for you.” She chewed on the inside of her cheek slightly as she stared at the expressions flickering across his face. “Even if it is stupid, or irresponsible, or… I don’t know. I’m embarrassed at a lot nowadays. Mainly because I’ve never felt like this before, and I don’t exactly know what to do…”

As she let her voice trail off, feeling her chest tighten with anxiety as she put those words out there, she felt herself slightly panicked. What if she’d misconstrued the way Jasper said he cared about her? There was a chance that she’d just done irreparable damage to whatever tenuous friendship they’d slowly begun to piece together over the last few weeks.

She didn’t know how many seconds passed, Alice staring at her lap, silently stewing over the words she couldn’t take back, when Jasper squeezed her hand tightly. When Alice looked back up at him, she found her voice suddenly unavailable to her. She’d never seen Jasper look at her like that.

Lifting his hand, he reached out toward her. Jasper moved slowly, but his actions were purposeful. As his eyes drifted from her own, flickering to where his fingers were brushing against her neck, Alice felt anticipation begin to quickly build inside of her as she watched his gaze lock onto her lips. His touch felt like fire, and as he trailed his thumb across her jaw, Alice was ready to jump out of her skin if he took any longer.

He leaned in slowly, giving Alice more than enough time to speak up, move away, or stop him. But when he lifted her jaw ever-so-slightly, and pressed a soft kiss against her lips, Alice gasped.

It was a quick kiss, innocent in it’s delivery. But when Jasper began to slowly back up, Alice lifted her own hand, quickly grabbing Jasper by the back of the head and pulling him back against her.

She wasn’t entirely sure _what_ to do, seeing as she’d never kissed anyone before. But Jasper was patient, gentle as he pulled her close and kissed her softly. With eyes closed and her senses completely overwhelmed with nothing but _Jasper_ , Alice let herself go.

His curls were thicker than she thought they’d be, as she carded her fingers through his hair, pulling him tightly against her. It wasn’t close enough, Alice was quickly realizing, as a fire began to burn it’s way down her chest, beneath her stomach, and between her legs. And when Jasper wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her against him, Alice couldn’t help it when she broke the kiss and gasped, a tiny moan falling out of her.

“Sorry,” and when his grip began to lessen in severity, Alice whined. That reaction caused him to laugh. “Alice.”

“Please,” Alice begged breathlessly, “please kiss me again.”

“Unless you want an audience,” Jasper spoke quietly as he began to remove his arm from her waist, straightening up as much as he could with her hand still gripping the back of his head, “it might be best that we stop,” leaning forward he gifted her with another soft kiss, “for now.”

“What do—” Her eyes flickered open when she realized what he meant. “Oh, shit.”

Emmett’s voice chimed in, out of sight, from what sounded like the bottom of the stairs. “Are y’all decent? Or should I just go back upstairs?”

Humiliation coursing through her, Alice squeaked, pulling her hands quickly against her chest as she buried her face in Jasper’s shirt.

(And the vision ended there. And suddenly Alice was back, mortification creeping up her spine as Edward’s words faltered, laughter breaking through.)

It was one thing to have this be a private thing, but nothing was private with Edward around.

She faintly heard Rosalie ask Edward what was so funny about being an accountant during the technological revolution when Jasper squeezed her hand, drawing her attention fully to him.

“Are you okay?” He asked, his voice low. But all she could see was the vision and suddenly all she wanted was for Jasper to kiss her; and she wanted it badly. Suddenly, she found herself so freaked out that in the next second, she was standing, and Edward wasn’t even trying to hide his laughter any longer.

Fleeing from the room without a second thought, she couldn’t help but listen in as Edward chuckled and everyone else was left, lost and confused as to what the hell had just transpired.

“What the hell was—Jasper, what did you do?” Emmett accused, baffled by her departure.

“What makes you think I did something?” He seemed as dumbfounded as the rest of them.”

“I don’t know, that’s your girlfriend!”

* * *

**Two** :

(chapter 14)

“Alice,” he whispered, and the feeling of his lips so close to her ear almost sent shivers down her spine, “Breathe for a moment. What happened? What are you so afraid of?”

But the question was so loaded she wasn’t too sure where to begin. She didn’t know what happened, nor did she know why she’d had such a severe freak-out to the sound of Rosalie and Edward’s bickering. She wasn’t _afraid_ of them; that was one thing she knew. But something in her brain had ensured that she’d gotten herself out of that situation as quickly as possible.

Carlisle had been the one to tell her about how powerful the vampire fight or flight response could be, but that had been back when Alice had seen Jasper’s face for the first time, when she’d all but expected him to deal her death to her that night.

She wasn’t too sure that some petty argument should be enough to warrant such a reaction from her.

“I don’t know,” she confessed shakily, tightening her hold around his neck. Somehow she’d managed to wrap herself around him completely. Her arms, tight around his neck, her legs wrapped around his torso. To his credit, and despite the fact that she knew he hated physical contact, he held her closely, his own arms wrapped around her waist and back, molding her to him.

Alice hardly had time to dwell on the intimacy of their current situation, instead only able to focus on her breathing as she forced air in and out of her lungs.

“Edward said he and Rosalie did something?”

She shook her head, “No—I mean, they had an argument. It wasn’t a big deal but they—they were yelling at each other and something in my head just—” she shook her head against his neck before burins her face into his shoulder. “I don’t know why. I mean, I’ve heard countless people argue before but—something about it… I had to run. I had to.”

He made a thoughtful noise before silence took hold for another few seconds. “You and fear don’t mix very well, do they?”

She snorted against his shift, “No, I guess not.” Then, a sense of dread enveloped her. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

Jasper pulled back from her slightly, shooting her a serious expression. “Do what?”

“This is my job! If my knee-jerk reaction is to run every time I get scared how am I going to function here? Visions or no visions there—there has to be something wrong with my brain. I know this.”

As the words left her mouth, something in Jasper’s expression hardened. There was silence for another few seconds and as Alice stared back at his face, her arms still loosely wrapped around his neck, a vision hit her.

She couldn’t tell if it was minutes or seconds into the future, but in the vision one moment she’s sitting in his lap, arms around his shoulders, listening to him speak in a low voice, and the next she’s shoving him away, yelling at him, with inconsolable sobs wracking her body as she struggles to put distance between them. Jasper simply sits there on her closet floor, looking dejected and helpless.

“Alice—”

“I don’t know what you just decided,” she cut him off quickly, her hands moving from his shoulders to his face, “but whatever it is you’re about to tell me, don’t.” She stared intently into his golden eyes, wordlessly begging him to oblige her random request. “Whatever you just decided, you better un-decide it.”

He looked pained as he stared back at her. There had clearly been something just on the tip of his tongue when her attention had shifted back toward the present.

“But you really—”

“Jasper,” her voice was pleading this time, “I really don’t want to know. At least, not—not now okay? I don’t want to fight with you now.” _Yet_ , something in her head amended. “If it’s that important you can tell me some other time and I promise not to be mad. Just—please keep it to yourself for now.”

And suddenly she felt as if she were back at square one, sitting in her bedroom back in Biloxi as she structured her entire day before going forth, using her visions to ensure that she would avoid absolutely any conflict and interaction in her travels around town. She felt like a coward, as if she were hiding from something, and she knew better than anyone than trying to change your fate wasn’t as easy as avoiding pain or arguments or normal everyday encounters.

But instead of allowing him to tell her whatever he seemed so desperate to share, she made him stop. For a fraction of a second, she contemplated initiating something between the two of them. After all, her visions of the two of them embracing or kissing or being intimate were much more preferable than the one of her pushing him away just now.

_(And with her quick decision, a vision.)_

The instant she made her choice, she acted, refusing to let even a hint of doubt cloud her judgement.

The kiss was quite clumsy, especially considering the fact that Alice _knew_ she’d caught Jasper off guard. Jasper swayed backward a little, removing one hand from around her waist to plant behind him, keeping the both of them upright.

Perhaps she’d put a little put too much force into the action. But her lips were on his and she still could hardly believe that she’d finally done it, and when she realized he hadn’t moved yet, she panicked, and pressed harder, refusing to let the pre-mature sting of rejection steal her nerve.

When their teeth bumped together Alice flinched back. Only a couple of inches, but enough that Jasper was able to steady himself. Alice watched with a nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach as he stared back at her, stunned at the kiss.

Thankfully, he didn’t say anything. Instead, he lifted his hands, cradling her face tenderly, and leaned back in. This time, Alice let him lead, her hands gripping his shoulders as her eyes fluttered shut.

Alice barely had time to think whether or not she was doing it right. Her senses were so overwhelmed with every single sensation; the fact alone that she was finally kissing him felt like a dream. If her visions had informed her that this was how she would feel while kissing him then she very well may have tried to on the night she was sworn in. But instead she’d ran from him, from the vision, and from anything alluding to her and Jasper as anything more than reluctant coworkers.

But even as he kissed her softly, Alice felt herself becoming restless. By _god_ it was amazing, but it just wasn’t enough…

She pressed herself harder against him, and then when her teeth knocked against his once more she cursed herself. Her clumsy kissing momentarily distracted her from how _amazing_ it was to finally kiss him. Alice almost cried out when Jasper slowly pulled back, resting his forehead against hers as he caught his breath. The pads of his fingertips rested against the back of her neck, his thumbs caressing her cheeks.

“Sorry,” Alice whispered, a little breathless as her eyes fluttered open. Feeling Jasper’s breath fan across her face only made the fire in her belly feel that much hotter. “I’ve never kissed anyone before.”

He exhaled his laugh, and just the scent of his breath made Alice want to kiss him again. She took that moment to watch him closely, as he focused hard on something unseen to her, his eyes still closed. He looked… peaceful. For as long as she knew him Alice had never seen Jasper without some sort of frown gracing his handsome features.

Now, tangled up in Alice’s embrace, their bodies pressed close together on the floor of her closet, Jasper looked carefree. Younger, even.

“It’s okay,” he laughed again, and the joy on his face made Alice’s dead heart leap in her chest. As he brushed a thumb over her cheek again, Alice sighed, leaning into his hand. “That’s one way to change the subject.”

Alice grabbed his hand and buried her face into it, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Jasper only laughed again. “Why are you embarrassed?” He asked kindly, pulling his hand away only to lift her chin back up, forcing her to look at him. “You said that was your first kiss?”

She nodded quickly, chewing on her lip. The more she let herself stew in her unease the quicker she realized their situation. She was still straddling him, her legs wrapped around his torso, her hands now clinging to the front of his shirt, the fabric twisted up in her grasp.

“Is that okay?” She asked, still nervous. She hadn’t asked him. There had been no context clues or anything of the sort. Just a vision that Alice had dove straight into, trusting it blindly. Only knowing that yes, he would reciprocate, but hardly even stopping to analyze the ‘why’.

He nodded, still sporting a small smile. “Yes, that’s okay. I just didn’t realize you felt this way.”

Alice had to hold back her own laughter. “You? The empath?” She smiled then, and it was so easy to forget how anxious she was about this when he was smiling at her like that and looking back at her like she’d performed a miracle. “I… was trusting a vision. I’ve had a lot of them these past few weeks.”

“Visions of us?” Alice nodded as she released her death grip on his shirt, feeling relief as she realized she hadn’t torn it in her haze. “Wow.”

Alice nodded, “Yeah, wow is right,” and suddenly her eyes were on his lips again. “I know I said that I wanted to be friends but…” she found herself leaning closer, her hands finding purchase on his shoulders once more, “maybe a little bit more than that would be okay, too?”

“You sure?” He whispered, and Alice was relieved to see that he was finally on the same page as her with this. He leaned forward, bridging the gap between them.

Alice didn’t verbally reply, instead choosing to use her kiss as an adequate enough response. If he had other questions, he could ask them later.

_(And when the vision ended, a sinking feeling planted itself in the pit of her stomach.)_

Because even with the proof in her mind that Jasper was someone incredibly important to her, she knew she couldn’t do that to him.

With Maria constantly on the fringe of her thoughts and a potential invasion creeping closer to them, the last thing Alice needed while she went through the training process was to be effectively distracted by romance of all things.

So instead, she chose to hold the embrace firmly, keeping her future in a solid—yet confusing—middle ground.

* * *

**Three** :

(chapter 21)

As they got back to their room, Alice and Jasper were already calmed back down and laughing once more. During their final run, the sleeves of the jacket Alice was wearing had unrolled, and were now lying limply at her sides. So instead of rolling them back up like any normal adult would, she’d turned toward Jasper and smacked him with a sleeve.

The look on his face—like he’d been inappropriately accosted—was enough to bring hysterical giggles to the surface that she couldn’t control. He was currently trying to catch her—a feat he was seemingly finding difficult despite the small size of the room—as she avoided capture, smacking him with a sleeve every time he missed her.

But the second she knocked into a lamp, gasping and turning her attention off Jasper to catch it before it fell to the ground and broke, his arms were around her and they were both falling to the ground.

Alice gasped when they hit the ground and the lamp broke anyways.

Releasing the ceramic shards she turned in his grip to scold him; they could have very easily saved the cheap hotel lighting fixture. But the second she looked at his face her reprimand died on her tongue.

_(And in the next second, a vision, solid as the ground beneath them.)_

This was it, she realized with a shock that seemed to pull her back to reality.

Jasper was seconds away from kissing her.

In an instant, Alice realized that she wanted him to do it more than anything. She deliberated for half of a second, and then beat him to the punch.

Things began to escalate the instant she pressed her lips against his.

Jasper kissed her desperately, his mouth absolutely demanding her full and utter attention as his arms tightened even more around her waist. At Jasper’s quick response Alice threw all caution to the wind, one arm wrapping around his shoulder as the other grabbed at the back of his head.

It took her a few seconds to wiggle her hand free of the too-long sleeve, but when she finally wormed her arm through, she let her fingers dig into his hair.

Kissing Jasper was just like Alice had dreamed of and more. All she could smell was him, all she could hear was the sounds of their gasps, all she could taste was the sweetness of his venom.

And all she could feel was his hard, muscular body moving above hers.

They were already pressed so close together, but it was very clear to Alice, as she tried hard to keep up with Jasper’s ravenous kisses that it wasn’t enough. But Alice was in unchartered territory right now—after all, this _was_ her first kiss—so she knew that if she wanted this to go any further she had to play her cards right.

And that meant, leaning even further into her visions.

It didn’t take much effort to part her legs, even with the entire weight of his body still pressing her into the white carpet, but when Alice wiggled her legs out from under him, she gasped audibly when she felt the weight of his pelvis press into hers. And knowing exactly what the hardness there was, Alice let out a quiet moan.

But Jasper was quick to react, pulling himself up onto an elbow as he continued his attack, kissing Alice’s jaw before letting his mouth wander. With his other hand he reached up, quickly unzipping the oversized pullover that she was still wearing from earlier. The moment her neck was exposed to the air Jasper’s mouth was all over it, sucking and nibbling at the pale flesh.

The sensations were almost enough to draw her attention away from the fact that he’d lifted himself off of her ever-so-slightly. Not by a lot, but enough that the evidence of his hardness was no longer pressed firmly against her.

Alice let out a whine as she hooked her legs around his waist, easily hoisting herself up against him. But it was difficult to recreate the feeling from before, and hard to line them up in that delicious way that made her toes curl.

Unwrapping one leg she placed it deliberately in between them and lifted it, pressing her thigh firmly against his erection.

His assault on her neck came to an abrupt halt as he stuttered out a gasp. “Alice.” And his breath against her neck almost made her shiver with anticipation.

“I want you,” Alice whined, her voice breathy and desperate, as she started to rub her thigh against him. “I want you, Jasper.”

“I—” his breathing hitched as Alice pulled her head back up and began to kiss him the same way he’d just been kissing her. Kissing him felt natural now, despite only a minute passing between her first kiss and this very moment. “I do, too.” He finally managed to get the words out as Alice’s tongue trailed along his neck. “But, Alice—”

She was shaking her head before he could get his words out, “No,” she whined, peppering his jaw with wet kisses, “please. Just this once, don’t think please. I _want_ you,” she reiterated desperately, and when he captured her lips once more, Alice groaned into his mouth.

“It’s so fast,” his voice was husky in between kisses as he slowly lowered himself back down, settling between her legs much like before, “Alice, I want you, but maybe… maybe we shouldn’t—”

Alice kissed him hard, wrapping her legs back around his waist and grinding her pelvis into his. She pulled back when he gasped, groaning softly at the sensations. Alice could barely see straight, but she knew she needed to drive her point home.

“Maybe,” she gasped, kissing him again, “you should fuck me.”

Jasper moaned against her mouth, and he was kissing her with renewed fervor the instant Alice saw him make up his mind.

“Yes,” her words were breathy but goading. Every time he kissed her, she moaned, and every time his hands wandered beneath another layer, she gasped and cried out softly. “Yes, Jazz, _more_.”

Undressing was easier than Alice would have thought it would be, especially considering the fact that they were still pressed so tightly together. Alice wasn’t willing to put more than a few inches of space in between their bodies, and thankfully Jasper seemed to be in ardent agreement with that, always keeping an arm wrapped tight around her as she shimmied out of her jeans and he maneuvered his own shirt off.

When she slipped out of his jacket, she grunted in frustration when Jasper tried separating from her to take her already-ripped shirt off.

“If you don’t,” Alice panted, “tear this stupid thing off me,” she kissed him hard, “so help me god.”

Thankfully Jasper agreed wholeheartedly, and when the shirt was torn from her body and discarded somewhere across the room, Alice hummed happily into his mouth.

Her hands couldn’t get enough, always wandering and touching and exploring. Currently she cupped his face with her left hand, not wanting him to stop kissing her for even an instant, while her right hand wandered toward the button of his pants, quickly undoing it. She thrusted her hand beneath his waistband before he could say anything, and when her hand wrapped around his length, he broke off their kiss with a gasp.

“Hold on,” he pressed his forehead against hers, and Alice could only watch in wonder as he fought against his own pleasure. “Careful,” he hissed as she squeezed him experimentally.

“Oh,” she released him, “did that hurt?”

In reply Jasper kissed her _hard_. “No,” he laughed breathlessly, “no it felt amazing. Very good. Too good.”

Oh. Well, then.

Alice gripped him again, and when Jasper’s hips jerked forward, as if responding involuntarily, Alice watched in wonder as this man—this beautiful, solemn, powerful man—was reduced to gasps at just her touch.

Alice let herself explore him for a few seconds, her hand starting at the tip and trailing all the way down the the base. If his width hadn’t already been enough for her to take note of, his length caused her to pause. Suddenly, she found herself unsure whether he’d even fit inside of her.

“You’re big,” Alice spoke softly, immediately hating how her anxiety was apparent with those two words alone.

He laughed another breathless laugh, “You’re going to kill me,” he kissed her again, and when Alice pulled her hand back, desperate to rid him of his jeans, Jasper lifted himself, yanking the clothing away with a few rough tugs before kicking it aside. “You’re perfect,” he kissed her jaw, “beautiful,” his mouth began kissing down the slope of her neck, “incredible,” when his mouth began to press kisses against her chest, Alice wiggled beneath him.

It took him a few seconds to realize that she was trying to maneuver herself out of her bra, but when he caught on he reached behind her, unclasping it in an instant with ease. And when he began to kiss at her breasts, Alice felt pleasure shoot straight through her. Next thing she knew she was arching her back, a noise she couldn’t contain escaping her.

Taken aback by her cry, Alice slapped a hand over her mouth. She’d never made a noise like _that_ before.

And then when Jasper let a hand wander downward, slipping beneath her underwear, Alice made the noise again. It was keening cry; not very loud, but still foreign enough of a sound that Alice kept finding herself distracted from her pleasure by it.

“It’s okay,” Jasper soothed, “don’t be embarrassed,” he pressed a few kisses to her stomach, and Alice thought she was going to burn alive if he didn’t help her relieve some of her tension soon. “Don’t be afraid to make noise. No one will hear it.”

That was right, Alice realized. The soundproofing.

Even with that thought, Alice still found herself clenching her teeth together as Jasper’s fingers slowly began to rub the sensitive spot between her legs.

It didn’t take long, and after a couple of minutes, Alice had buried her face against Jasper’s chest, clinging to him hard as he brought her to her first orgasm. Her small cry made a reappearance as she felt the tightened coil burst within her, and when her arms loosened their grip, so caught up in her sudden pleasure, Jasper arms were there to keep her close as she shuddered through her orgasm.

“More,” she gasped as she came down, her strength returning to her tenfold as he pressed wet kisses against her chest, “Jasper, more.”

“Let me know if it’s,” Alice cut his words off with a kiss, feeling blindly until she was gripping his member in her hands, trying to line him up with her, “if it’s too much.”

“Never,” she shook her head, so drunk with lust as his hand helped guide him to her entrance, “never too much.”

With one hand, he spread her lips, and with the other, he slowly pushed his way inside.

He didn’t get very far before Alice tensed up, all the muscles in her body seizing as a strange discomfort pulled her attention away from her pleasure. And when he attempted to push further Alice gasped out a quiet, “Ow.”

“Hey,” capturing her lips in a gentle kiss, Alice could feel Jasper trembling as they stilled. “It’s okay, I can—”

“No you don’t,” Alice gasped, lifting a foot to wrap around his backside before he could dare pull away.“Just…” and when she pulled her heel against him, pulling him further inside of her, she choked out a gasp, “hold still for a second.”

Jasper nodded blindly, already propped up on his elbows as he forced himself to keep still. “You alright?” Leaning forward he pressed more kisses to her neck and jaw, “Give yourself a moment,” he purred, and the sound of his voice, in combination to his assault on her neck, made it very easy to relax. By the time she was enveloped back in her pleasure, Jasper was massaging her chest, kissing his way from her neck back up to her mouth.

With a shaking hand Alice reached downward, and when her fingers found where they were joined, she couldn’t help but lift her head and stare, in shock and awe. “Fuck,” she whispered, letting her head fall back to the carpet, her hand still resting where their bodies were connected.

“Here,” Jasper placed his hand overtop of hers, pulling her hand back and upward slightly, and when her fingertips brushed against the sensitive nub, Alice moaned. “There you go,” he rasped, his breath tickling her ear, “do what feels good.” He pressed down on her hand ever so slightly, and the friction of her own hand made her want to _move_.

“ _You_ feel good,” Alice responded, nearly slurring her words as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. And as her fingers moved, Jasper lifted his hand back to her face. For a full minute he kissed her tenderly, still propped up on an elbow as he cupped her cheek, unmoving above her.

And when the urge to jut her hips up to meet his struck her, she began to move beneath him. “More,” she moaned in frustration, her nails raking across his shoulder and down his back, “move, please.”

And when he did, sinking another notch inside of her, Alice choked on her moan, “ _yes_ ,” she gasped, her foot pulling him against her until he was as far as he could go. Moving her fingers off of her clit she reached down again, and when she found that he still wasn’t completely inside of her she whined. “ _More_.”

Jasper’s laugh was breathy as he pressed more kisses to her face. “I physically can’t.”

Alice forced her eyes to focus and when she did, she found him staring down at her, eyes half-closed and mouth in a perfect ‘o’. Jasper looked so unguarded, so uninhibited, that just the sight of his face alone pulled another moan of pleasure out of her. And when he whispered her name, Alice whimpered, lifting a hand to push his hair out of his face.

“Jazz,” and Alice knew that if she could be, she would be crying, pleasure and joy overflowing within her, “ _Please_.”

“Alice,” he kissed her desperately then, and when he began to slowly move out, and then back in, Alice felt her attention sway as she threw her head back, all noise trapped within her throat. “Oh, _Alice.”_

 _“Jazz_ ,” her voice hitched as he thrusted again, and Alice moved her hand back to her sensitive nub, gently rubbing. “More,” the gasped as his pace increased, “more.”

“Oh, Alice,” he whispered.He spoke her name against her neck and against her ear. He whispered it between kisses and as their pace picked up. And when Alice began to feel the pleasure build within her, a coil tightening with each and every thrust of Jasper’s hips, she knew that she wasn’t going to last for much longer. “Alice,” he moaned, his forehead braced against her shoulder as she held him close, unable to speak any further, too caught up in the bliss she was feeling and her building orgasm.

She came apart with a cry, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as he continued to piston his hips. It didn’t take him long to reach his peak, and when he gasped on her name, kissing her roughly as his thrusts fell out of synch, Alice swore she could see stars behind her eyelids.

He pulled out of her slowly, swiftly wrapping his arms around her thin shoulders and pulling her against his bare chest, toppling beside her.

“Oh, my god,” Alice’s voice was as shaky as her legs, and when she pulled her arms from around Jasper’s neck, she realized that those were shaking, too. “Wow.”

“I need you to know,” Jasper spoke, slowly catching his breath, and Alice had to look up to meet his golden gaze. With his eyes locked on hers, his arms holding her safely against him, Alice found herself entranced. “I care about you. So much.” And when his words fell over her once more, Alice couldn’t keep the giant smile off of her face. “I do. And it might be bad timing for this, but I need you to know. I need…”

Alice kissed him again. It was a sloppy kiss, and when she felt him smiling against her, she pulled back, unable to fight her own smile. “What’s so funny?”

He gestured with his head, and when Alice turned slightly to look at the ground beneath where they’d just been laying, she couldn’t help but laugh. The shattered ceramic lamp was worse now that it had been after Alice had attempted to save it. And when Jasper reached behind her, and began brushing dust and ceramic pieces off of her back, she laughed harder.

“Did we really just fuck on top of a broken lamp?”

There was a certain mirth in his eyes as he swiped at her bare skin, his lips pressed tightly together. “Seems like it.”

Alice laughed again before leaning forward and resting her cheek against Jasper’s chest. She was wrapped up so tightly in the warmth of his emotions that she didn’t ever want to part from him. She hummed as he wrapped his arms around her, holding him closely to him. “We didn’t even make it to the bed,” she mused, still hardly believing that she’d gone from first kiss to first time within _minutes_.

Jasper made a thoughtful noise in reply. “Hm, you’re right.” And when he lifted her swiftly into his arms, suddenly standing, Alice laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck. “We should remedy that.” When he climbed on top of the bed, Alice still in his arms, she couldn’t help but giggle, pressing her lips to the corner of his smirking mouth.

_(Her return back to the present was a painful thing. But the surprise of the vision frightened her.)_

She couldn’t. _They_ couldn’t. Not now. Not yet. Not when the vision of them surrounded by flames was still the most prevalent one in her brain. No, she wanted that one gone first. She _needed_ that one to be gone.

“Jazz,” she reached up, fast enough to stop him before he made a move, but slow enough that it wouldn’t cause alarm. “Wait.” Gently, she pressed her fingers against his lips, the contact causing an indescribable sensation to ripple through her body.

Closing her eyes, she swallowed thickly. Their current position only made this entire thing so much worse—or better, depending on the way you looked at it. Alice was flat on her back, Jasper pinning her to the white, carpeted floor of the hotel room, his entire body pressed up against hers.

“Alice,” he nearly growled against her hand, his arms still wrapped tight around her.

She wasn’t positive but she swore that his golden eyes, still fresh from a hunt, were beginning to darken ever-so-slightly.

“Jazz,” she whispered, not trusting her voice to hold steady, but she knew she had to say this. “Whatever you just decided: undecided it.” As he inhaled to speak again, the sensation against her fingers almost making her shiver, she shook her head. “Not for good,” she clarified, needing him to understand. “Just for now.”

* * *

**Four** :

(chapter 29)

Despite initially being against training her offensively, Jasper had eventually relented. It was one thing to know how to defend yourself, but another to be able to fight back, and Alice knew she needed to learn both for when Maria struck. Hesitance aside, Jasper seemed to recognize that not training her offensively would eventually be a disservice to them all.

The main objective of the week had been for her to attempt to knock him off his feet. Something she’d been able to do in the past, but for some reason was having difficulty doing while practicing striking him. Jasper had gotten much better at reacting to her advances Sure, she had her visions on her side, but once he had stopped thinking about his moves and started letting his instincts take over, it had been nearly impossible to predict his movements or reactions to her own moves.

When her visions proved to be not enough and she was left with only her own innate abilities, Alice always found herself disheartened. She wasn’t a natural-born fighter. She wasn’t strong like Emmett or fast like Edward. The visions were what made her an above-average fighter, and even then, she wasn’t exactly much of a fighter anyways.

Jasper being then empath that he was, began to let up on her. Only slightly, but enough that Alice quickly noticed that he was starting to take it easy on her. It only frustrated her further.

So when she made a split-second decision, going against just about everything he’d been instructing her on, she took a chance.

Flinging herself directly at him, she expected it when he swiftly grabbed on of her wrists, yanking her to the side and throwing her momentum off. But instead of trying to fight against the deflection, she leaned into it, flipping herself forward and landing just to his left. Of course he was quick to react, but by the time he’d stepped back or reached out with his opposite hand to knock her further away, she was too close.

As she flung her arms forward, ready to wrap them around him, he’d already reset his stance and gripped bother of her shoulders firmly, preparing to shove her back. Without much thought Alice swung her legs forward, wrapping them around his torso as she flung her arms forward, grappling with him.

Sure, he was strong, but Alice was quick. And Alice was _angry._

She fought with him for a quick millisecond, trying to keep him from yanking her off of him, but when her legs slid down slightly, her heels finding purchase against the backs of his knees, she used all her might and _pulled_.

When they both came down, Jasper nearly toppling head over heels over her, Alice re-tightened her hold on him, and when they came to a near-standstill, Jasper on his back, Alice sitting on him, she gripped his shoulder, shoving him backward into the concrete with a resounding smack.

One full second passed before she looked up at him, her teeth bared as her temper began to quiet, only to find herself shocked at the look in his eyes.

For the first time in what felt like months, he was staring at her with something Alice could only describe as awe. It had been so long since he’d looked at her with true emotion on his face, entirely uninhibited by the situation surrounding them. Suddenly, Alice was reminded of the last time she saw this specific look in his eye, months ago back in Portland.

Only then, their stances had been reserved.

_(A vision flickered through her in that moment.)_

Driven by a frustration that Alice could hardly begin to name, she kissed him. And when Jasper responded instantly, lifting his arms to wrap tightly around her shoulders, Alice growled into his mouth. And Jasper was suddenly kissing her even _harder_.

Her anger was quick to turn into want, and so when Jasper reacted to her desperate kisses, flipping them so that Alice was pinned between his body and the hard ground of the gym floor, Alice was already tugging at his clothes.

Jasper somehow managed to scrape up a single moment of clarity as she began to wriggle out of her leggings. Pulling back slightly, his eyelids heavy with lust, Jasper stared back at her, “Alice, wait—”

“No one will see,” she whispered desperately against his lips before kissing him hard again, her teeth grazing his lower lip as she pulled him against her firmly, reaching down with one hand to try and yank her clothes off of her body that much quicker. “I need you,” she panted, and when she pressed her lips back against his, she knew that this wasn’t something he was going to back down from. Not with her so desperate and willing beneath him. Not with her begging him with her body and her words.

So after they both made quick work of discarding their clothes from the waist down, Jasper was quick to line himself up with her. And after a few slow, careful strokes, Alice was whimpering, crying out for _more, please… more, faster_.

So Jasper fucked her, hard and fast.

And when the air in the room suddenly began to feel hotter, and the entire atmosphere shifted, Alice cried out in ecstasy, an orgasm rippling through her seconds later. Her toes curled, stars danced behind her eyelids, and she arched her back right off of the gym floor as she choked on a gasp.

Jasper slowed his pace slightly as Alice came down from her high, but the instant she blinked back up at him his mouth was on hers again, and he was ravenous. And when he slowly picked his pace back up once more, Alice felt her vision began to blur at the edges as she cried out, desperately clinging to him as he fucked her hard.

But despite her sensitivity, Alice could feel the coil within her begin to tighten once more, and when Jasper reached down in between them where their bodies were joined, and began rubbing her sensitive clit, she gasped out his name.

“Fuck me,” she begged as she felt her toes begin to curl again, breaking away from another rough kiss to throw her head back and moan, “fuck me, Jazz, _yes_.”

And with one hand gripping her hip so tight it almost hurt, Jasper sucked at her neck, his teeth grazing dangerously across the pale skin as he increased his pace, fucking her into the floor. When he growled against her collarbone, the atmosphere shifted again.

Combined with his frenzied thrusts, the feeling of his mouth at the juncture of her neck and shoulder, his thumb rubbing hard against her clit, and the heat she felt in the air, Alice came once more. As her pleasure reached it’s peak, Jasper growled again, and when he sank his teeth into her shoulder, the combination of pain and pleasure forced a stuttered cry from her throat.

He chased his own orgasm then, his mouth falling from her shoulder as he let out a groan, his hips smacking against hers a few more times before stuttering to a halt.

There was only a few seconds of quiet then, as they both came down from their lust, gasping and panting into the giant, open room. Alice’s shaking legs still cradling Jasper’s body where it rested between her thighs. It was only when she moved her head, lifting it to get a better look at him, that the pain pulsed through her, bright and all-encompassing.

She sucked a quick breath in through her teeth, and couldn’t stop the cry of pain as her hand found the bite mark on her shoulder.

Jasper swore quietly, his hands gently grabbing her, setting herself up quickly in a sitting position.

With one hand clamped tightly over the wound—she could feel his venom still wet on her shoulder—she attempted to move her shoulder, and instead let out an involuntary whimper.

It had felt immaculate in the heat of the moment, the pain mixing with her pleasure almost seamlessly, but now in the aftermath, it just _hurt_.

Jasper was quiet, but Alice could see the guilt powering through his usual stony expression. As he quickly retrieved her leggings for her, his pants already back on and fastened, Alice felt a horrific sense of dread and disappointment fill her.

Not only had they just fucked on the floor, an entirely impromptu and extremely shocking occurrence, but it seemed that Jasper was already having immediate regrets.

That hurt worse than the bite mark.

When he leaned forward and licked at the mark, it only took a few seconds for the worst of the pain to subside, but by the time he pulled back, the damage had been done.

It wasn’t _fair_ , she wanted to yell. The gap that had been between them before this encounter hadn’t been bridged by it, but instead had now widened. A canyon instead of a crossable pit.

“I’m sorry,” his words were quiet as he sat back, his eyes hard as they locked onto where she was marked now. The only scar on her otherwise perfect skin. His forever. No matter if he wanted that or not.

And as he stared at her, his expression now unreadable as they sat across each other in the silent gym, Alice was sure she was about to cry. Because in no way did this man look happy with what had just transpired. In no way had this been a wise choice. And when misery clouded her judgement, she lifted her now-clothed knees up to her face and buried her head behind them, her hand once more pressing firmly against her new mark.

“I’m sorry,” his voice quietly repeated as Alice felt her heart break in her chest, “I’m sorry, Alice.”

_(The vision ended, bringing most of the pain with it.)_

Alice stared at his face, her own only half a foot away from his, and quickly she flew up and off of him, anger and frustration all but forgotten as she turned and fled the room, humiliation bubbling up inside of her.

But even as she closed her bedroom door behind her, curling up on her couch, her head in her hands, she couldn’t forget the feeling of his hard, muscular body beneath hers. How he looked up at her with nothing but admiration displayed across his features, a softness in his eyes that she missed more and more every passing day.

* * *

**Five** :

(chapter 32)

She even felt as he plucked a few pebbles from her short, mussed-up hair, and her chest tightened at how delicate he was being with her.

It was odd, she realized as she felt her mind checking back and forth between he present and the future, how their relationship was unfolding so solidly. As he ran a washcloth across her shoulders and back, ridding her of the night’s dirt and grime, letting him take care of her like this somehow felt so right.

And when she felt overcome with a pleasantness—an incredible warmth that she simply knew had to be from Jasper—she knew in that moment, that Emmett was right: Jasper loved her.

It was something that perhaps she’d known for a while now, but as she let his warm affections fall over her, soothing her in a way that even his hands on her bare skin weren’t quite doing, she knew it deep in her heart.

And in that moment she almost said it.

_I love you._

_I love you, so much._

_Jasper, I love you_.

Because she did. She loved this man to pieces, and he loved her back. And although it had absolutely terrified her before, now she was content with the realization.

But even still, she remained silent. Perhaps just acknowledging it was enough for her, but as she let the warmth of his love wash over her, she tried her best to radiate those same feelings back out toward him, and somehow she knew that he also knew.

“Alice.” Her name was so soft on his lips, and as she forced herself to come back to her body for a solid moment, she smiled up at him, locking eyes with him and exhaling slowly. Inhaling deeply, she took in his scent, still potent to her beneath the smell of the generic soap and shampoo.

“Jasper,” she reached up, lacing her fingers together behind his neck as she held his gaze. And there it was, shining in his eyes and written across his every feature: what Alice could only describe as love. He looked so beautiful, and Alice could hardly believe that their path had taken such a wonderful turn, allowing her to get to know this man as well as she had in the past several months.

She loved him so much, and was ready to show in any way she could.

_(And then, a vision.)_

He was so tall, and as she stretched up onto her tip-toes, letting her eyes flutter closed, she knew that unless he met her halfway, there was no way she’d be able to reach him…

So as carefully as she could, she tightened her grip on his shoulders and hoisted herself up, firmly wrapping her legs around him so that they were finally eye-to-eye.

“Jasper,” she whispered his name as he stared back at her, eyes warm and full of love, and mouth slightly agape. This close to him, Alice could physically _feel_ his hesitance, his worry, his care for her. So when she realized that he wasn’t going to make the first move, she acted.

Lifting a hand to his scarred face, Alice leaned in, closing the gap between then with a quick, soft kiss. But no matter how chaste it was, it lit Alice’s senses brightly, and she immediately wanted more.

“Alice,” he smiled against her kiss, and when he turned his head to the side slightly, _he_ kissed _her,_ and oh—yes this was so much better than whatever the hell she’d just been trying to do.

She bit back a sigh as Jasper kissed her, his lips soft and firm against her own mouth. Alice felt dizzy then, as she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, molding herself against him as closely as she could. And even as close as they were currently, her almost-bare, _wet_ body pressed against his naked chest, Alice found herself wanting more.

He pulled away from the kiss in that moment, instead choosing to plant gentle kisses all over her face, her hairline, her jaw, her neck. And with each kiss, Alice could feel the love behind them.

 _I love you_ , he kissed each cheek.

 _I love you_ , he kissed a trail from her jaw to above her ear.

 _I love you_ , he kissed her on top of her closed eyelids.

“Jasper,” Alice sighed, and she was somehow both over and underwhelmed at the affection he was so boldly displaying now. She could live and die here, in his arms, but she still wanted more.

Alice barely noticed when he stepped a few feet away, removing them both from the harsh spray of the center shower. But when he chucked against her skin, capturing her lips in another controlled kiss, Alice found herself very adequately distracted.

“Come on,” he kissed the corner of her mouth before pulling away fully, “we have places to be.”

“Can we kiss there, too?” Alice asked, her eyes barely open as she leaned back in for _another_ kiss. She knew, in the back of her mind that they had to wrap this up and move on. The pain of the previous events was still bright in the back of her mind, but finally kissing the man she loved left her feeling so blissful that she wondered if this was what would help keep her sane in the coming days.

In reply he pulled her arms from around his neck, kissing her knuckles as he took her hands in his. He then smiled when he tried to lower her back to the ground and her legs locked around him, unmoving. “Alice,” he laughed. “Get down and I’ll kiss you again.”

It was half of a promise and half of a bargain, but Alice took him up on the offer. A second after her bare feet hit the tile he swept down and kissed her again. This kiss more passionate than the others had been. But when Alice tried to climb back up into his arms again, Jasper leaned back up. “Not now,” he kissed her nose before placing his hands on her shoulders and ushering her back under the spray. “Come on, let’s rinse your hair.”

_(And then she was back under the spray, staring up at Jasper, her vision gone.)_

It was easy to forget that she wasn’t the only one in charge of their interactions as she stretched up as high as she could on her tip-toes, waiting…

“Hey,” hands finding her forearms, he squeezed lightly. When she opened her eyes back up, she was a little surprised to see him smiling down on her with a crooked grin. “I know,” he spoke softly, letting his hands trail from her forearms to her shoulders, and then from there he let his fingertips trace their way up to her neck, before cradling her face.

“If you don’t kiss me…” she nearly growled, but Jasper just laughed warmly in reply.

“I can’t,” he insisted softly, still smiling, still projecting his love outward for her to feel. It was his eyes though—his sad, aching eyes—that forced her to stop. “You’ve been through some traumatic things tonight.”

* * *

**Six**

(chapter 35)

The pain she felt was indescribable, but that’s how pain worked sometimes. It didn’t matter if you could put the feeling into words, it wouldn’t stop it’s relentless ache. It doesn’t make the heartbreak any easier to bear, knowing how to verbalize it, and make it real in a realm outside of the emotional one.

“You can’t leave me,” she whispered toward Jasper, her mind focused far away, flickering through possibility after possibility, making and unmaking handfuls of decisions, trying to find the path of least bloodshed but coming up empty handed with each glance ahead of her.

_(Maria grinning down at her restrained form as her mind twisted in on itself, the sound of Jasper screaming in the background.)_

_(Blood. So much blood. The human’s screams never lasted too long. Only a second or two before unconsciousness or weakness claimed them, silencing their voices for good. Alice thought of the woman under her mouth and froze.)_

_(Carlisle fell first. Alice should’ve known that he wouldn’t be able to adequately defend himself against Maria’s wrath. He carried guilt with him everywhere he went; guilt he’d been dragging around for decades now. Guilt that her actions had been his fault. The death, sitting heavy on his conscience for many years. And when Edward was forced to his knees, a bag thrown over his head as he was dragged toward the ocean, Alice knew all hope was lost.)_

_(“No no no!” She can’t help but screech her words, terror flooding through her as her own death was eminent. “Jasper!” She screamed his name, a last-ditch attempt to call for help, but when the grinding pain of her arms being wrenched from her body blinded her mind, she knew the end was near.)_

_(She clung to his arm tightly as they followed Maria through the brush. She tried not to let her limp slow them down, but she knew that if she couldn’t keep up, Maria would order her to be ripped away from Jasper again. And she didn’t know what they’d done to him—his head in a bag and his arms at his sides as one of Maria’s larger underlings led him forward—but she knew that whatever deal he’d cut with her, that sure, they’d keep her alive. But the didn’t have to be gentle about it.)_

_(“Leave it,” an unrecognizable vampire spat as Alice desperately tried to run back and grab her missing hand, unable to pull herself from the grip a different man had on her arm. “We need to leave.”)_

_(“Whatever happens,” Jasper whispered to her, eyes already bright red in the moonlight, “remember that I love you.”)_

She was running out of time. If she didn’t come up with something soon, these possibilities would become certainties, and hundreds and hundreds of people, her loved ones included, were going to die.

“Alice,” Jasper’s voice was trying to pull her back into the present, but Alice kept shaking her head.

_(“I don’t have to kill him,” Maria’s voice was amused at the sound of Jasper biting back his screams. “Just listen to me, niña.”)_

“No, I can do this!” She yelled desperately. “I can find a way out of this. I can save people!” She had to, she continued telling herself as each path lead to more death, more destruction.

( _There was nothing left. She wandered through the rubble, not knowing what this center looked like beforehand, but knowing somehow that nearly everyone was dead and gone. There was nothing left to save.)_

“Alice,” he yelled, hands dropping hers as he grabbed her shoulders and _shook_ , “what happens when you run?”

“I’m not running!”

“Look anyways! If you stay we’ll both either die or get taken,” Alice knew this. There was an almost certain chance of this happening. Jasper was right and Alice knew it and she wanted to scream. “If you turn and run—and I don’t mean back to Seattle, it won’t be safe for you there—if you run and run and run, and if I turn and fight, what happens?”

And the moment she relented and looked, she began to sob. She didn’t know how he knew it, but he was right. If he went into the thick of it without her by his side, if he went directly to Maria, the army would pull back, Edward and Carlisle and Peter and 80% of their containers would survive, and Jasper would be taken.

(“Maria,” Jasper screamed, his voice angry. And despite the noise around them, at his presence alone—his appearance on the battlefield, commanding attention from all—his voice carried. He didn’t need to shout again; she’d heard him the first time. But he did it anyways. “ _Maria!”)_

“Do I die?” He asked, squeezing her shoulders tightly, trying to get her to focus on him, “Alice, do I die?”

_(“I come with you,” he spoke firmly, and the vampires that stood at Maria’s side were poised to attack, hissing and growling as he approached calmly, no one daring yet to stop him. “And you’ll leave this place, and call your people back.”_

_“Says who?” She grinned at him, her voice teasing despite the carnage unfolding around them._

_“Says I. Or I’ll spend the next several hours killing every one of your people I can get my hands onto.” The growls were so loud then that their lack of action was only proof of their fear of death. They’d already watched as he’d torn through dozens of their own to reach them. And even if it was impossible for him to kill them all, they_ knew _he’d die trying to._

_Maria clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. Then, she gestured to her group. “Hurry then, before I start to feel less charitable.”)_

She shook her head and a sob escaped. “Seattle survives, a massacre is avoided, you disappear.”

“Okay,” he whispered, and Alice looked up at him then, hating how his voice was so resigned yet so calm with this information.

“I can’t leave you,” she cried, reaching up and gripping his scarred wrists. She barely had a two minute window to act on her decision before it was too late, and every cell in her body was screaming at her not to act. “Jazz, I can’t let her get to you. I don’t want you to go.”

“Alice,” and then he did something that surprised her.

He smiled.

“Esme is right. You’re the key to this. You are what is going to bring Maria to her knees and into pieces before a fire. I trust you with my life. Do you trust me?”

“Jasper I can’t—”

“Do you trust me?” His gaze was intense as he moved his hands from her shoulders to her face, cradling her head in his hands.

“Yes,” she exhaled, trying not to choke on the word, “I trust you, Jasper.”

The instant he kissed her, a sob fell from her.

She’d dreamed about this, almost. Seen if done a hundred different ways in a hundred different scenarios.On a hunt, in the library, in her bedroom, on the floor of a hotel room not far from where they’d been that afternoon…

_(—When Jasper wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her against him, Alice couldn’t help it when she broke the kiss and gasped, a tiny moan falling out of her—)_

_(—She pressed herself harder against him, and then when her teeth knocked against his once more she cursed herself. Her clumsy kissing momentarily distracted her from how amazing it was to finally kiss him—)_

_(—Jasper kissed her desperately, his mouth absolutely demanding her full and utter attention as his arms tightened even more around her waist. At Jasper’s quick response Alice threw all caution to the wind, one arm wrapping around his shoulder as the other grabbed at the back of his head—)_

_(—Her anger was quick to turn into want, and so when Jasper reacted to her desperate kisses, flipping them so that Alice was pinned between his body and the hard ground of the gym floor, Alice was already tugging at his clothes—)_

_(—“Alice,” he smiled against her kiss, and when he turned his head to the side slightly, he kissed her, and oh—yes this was so much better than whatever the hell she’d just been trying to do—)_

She’d seen so much. So many opportunities. So many chances.

Kissing Jasper before he ran off to meet his maker was not something she’d ever foreseen.

“You have to go.”

“No. Please."

“Go, love. _Alice_.”

“I love you. I love you, Jasper. I’m sorry.”

“ _Go_. You have to go.”

One more press of her lips against his was all she could afford to do before she ripped herself away from him, turned, and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.


End file.
